ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Prime Minister's Office
Dr PK Mishra takes over as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister
Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra, has been appointed as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India. He has taken over charge today.
Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister
Dr Mishra has varied work experience in the management of programmes relating to agriculture, disaster management, power sector,infrastructure financing, and regulatory issues and has an outstanding career profile comprising research, publications, policy formulation and programme/project management. He has vast experience in policy making and administration and has handled major assignments such as Additional Pr. Secretary to the Prime Minister; Secretary, Agriculture and Cooperation, Government of India; Chairman, State Electricity Regulatory Commission and in the area of Disaster management. As Secretary Agriculture & Cooperation, he was actively involved in path-breaking national initiatives such as the National Agriculture Development Programme  and the National Food Security Mission .
As Additional Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister during 2014-19 Dr Mishra is credited with introducing innovation and transformative changes in human resource management, particularly appointments to senior positions.
His international experience includes research and academic work for over four years at the Institute of Development Studies , negotiation and execution of ADB and World Bank projects, member of the Governing Board of the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics  and participation as expert/resource person in several international conferences.
Recently, he was conferred with the United Nations SASAKAWA Award 2019, the most prestigious international award in disaster management.
Dr Mishra has a Ph.D in Economics/Development Studies from the University of Sussex, M.A. in Development Economics at the University of Sussex as also M.A. in Economics with a first class at the Delhi School of Economics and B.A. Hons.  with a first class and distinction in other subjects from G.M. College  in 1970. He was the only one to get a first class in Economics among all the universities of Odisha.
His publications include
● The Kutch Earthquake 2001: Recollection Lessons and Insights, National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi, India .
● Agricultural Risk, Insurance and Income: A Study of the Impact and Design of India’s Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme, Avebury, Aldershot, UK .
● Edited Development and Operation of Agricultural Insurance Schemes in Asia, Asian Productivity Organization, Tokyo, Japan .
He has also contributed articles and reviews to many international journals.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
Shri Hardeep Singh Puri chairs the Valedictory session of the 14th Urban Mobility Conference 2021;
Presented awards to the state / city winners for “Excellence in Urban Transport”
Transport systems is fundamental to Economic Growth: Shri Puri
Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs & Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Hardeep S. Puri chaired the valedictory session of the 14th edition of Urban Mobility India  Conference 2021 here today. He presented awards to the state / city winners for “Excellence in Urban Transport” in different categories  and distributed certificates under the Executive Programme in Sustainable Transport and trophies for SMART-MOVE 
Shri HardeepPuri while addressing the session said that Cities are the Engines of Economic Growth and if India is to become a $5Trillion economy by 2025 and a $10 Trillion economy by 2030, urban areas will have to both accommodate and enable such growth. Transport systems will be fundamental to such growth.
Shri Puri congratulated award winners for their continued effort in their respective cities. He said that UMI, since its inception in 2008, has been envisioned as a platform for focusing attention on critical challenges and key opportunities in the urban sector in India, and to disseminate best practices from around the country and the world. He added that such events are unique forums for networking and exchanging ideas and experiences between policy makers, city managers, researchers, planners, and urban transport technologists.
Launching the 15th UMI conference, which will house the theme of “Azadi@75: Sustainable AtmaNirbhar Urban Mobility” in Kochi, Kerala from 4th to 6th November 2022 , he expressed hope that the urban transport community will assemble again in large numbers next UMI conference.
The day-long Conference discussed the theme “Mobility for All” focusing on providing equitable access and promote inclusive urban transportation aimed to provide affordable, clean, safe, informative, efficient and accessible transport systems, with special attention to the diverse needs from all factions of the society, especially the specially-abled, elderly, women and children.
The conference brought together national and international experts, technology and service providers, policy makers, practitioners and officials from the urban transport sector under one roof.
Ministry of Education
Equipping teachers with digital mode to training
The Department of School Education and Literacy has digitalized its Integrated Teacher Training Programme called NISHTHA – National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement. NISHTHA-online for elementary teachers was launched on 06th October, 2020 by NCERT on the DIKSHA platform and around 24 lakh teachers/school heads have been covered under this.
In 2021-22, NISHTHA online has been extended to Secondary level  and Foundational Literacy and Numeracy  for Secondary, Pre-primary & Primary respectively with a focus on improvement in quality of teachers and learning outcomes of students.
NCERT has developed a package including 12 Generic modules and 56 subject specific modules for NISHTHA 2.0  and 12 modules for foundational literacy and numeracy under NISHTHA 3.0 online on DIKSHA portal.
CIET- NCERT initiated a webinar series focusing to orient teachers, students and other stakeholders on various ICT tools, digital initiatives at national level, emerging trends in educational technology, cyber safety and security. A variety of sessions in English and Hindi has been conducted live which is simulcast through YouTube live on NCERT official Youtube Channel as well as 12 PMeVIDYA DTH TV Channels and Jio TV mobile App. Till date, nearly 540 live sessions of one hour duration each have been organised on ICT tools for teaching learning and assessment. A repository is also created for easy reference and can be accessed at: https://ciet.nic.in/pages.php?id=webinar&ln=en
Also in last week of every month, online sessions are conducted on areas related to ET and ICT. Around 7 such Trainings have been organized. Details of these sessions may be accessed at: https://ciet.nic.in/workshop-training.php?&ln=en
CIET- NCERT has conducted 10 days training in collaboration with Atal Tinkering Mission, Niti Ayog on Developing game based content for teaching learning. Details may be accessed at https://ciet.nic.in/workshop-ddge.php.
Other than the online training, online course modules are developed in collaboration with CDAC-MeitY, CEMCA- COL, ATAL Mission, UNESCO, UNICEF Microsoft etc.
Ministry of Education has also released PRAGYATA Guidelines on Digital/Online Education. The guidelines provide a roadmap or pointers for carrying forward enhanced quality online education. It is useful for a diverse set of stakeholders including school heads, teachers, parents, teacher educators and students. The guidelines can be accessed at:
https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/pragyata-guidelines_0.pdf
The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Smt. Annpurna Devi in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM greets Indian Air Force on Air Force Day
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the members of Indian Air Force and their families on the occasion of Air Force Day.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"On Air Force Day, my greetings to the courageous air warriors and their families. In line with the motto of नभः स्पृशं दीप्तम्, the Indian Air Force has shown exceptional dexterity for decades. They have secured the nation and also shown remarkable human spirit during disasters."
Ministry of Defence
Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff visits Tehran, Iran for Indian Ocean Naval Symposium  – 2018
The 6th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium  and Conclave of Chiefs is being hosted by Iran at Tehran from 23 to 25 April 2018. The Chief of the Naval Staff is leading a four member Indian delegation for the event.
The IONS was conceived by the Indian Navy in 2008. The forum seeks to enhance maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion on regionally relevant maritime issues that would lead to common understanding on the way ahead. The inaugural edition of IONS was held in February 2008 at New Delhi, with Indian Navy as the Chair for two years. This was followed by UAE from 2010 - 2012, South Africa from 2012 - 2014, Australia from 2014 - 2016 and Bangladesh from 2016 - 2018.
The IONS Charter of Business was agreed upon by the Conclave of Chiefs and brought into effect in February 2014. A relatively young forum, barely in its 10th year of existence, it has grown into a formidable organisation with 23 members and 09 observers. As the founder nation, India will also be conducting commemorative activities in November 2018 at Kochi, for celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year.
The visit of the Chief of the Naval Staff is also aimed at consolidating bilateral naval relations between India and Iran and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation. Admiral Sunil Lanba will also hold bilateral discussions with the Commander IRI Navy, and other participating ‘Chiefs of Navy/ Head of Maritime Agencies’.
DKS/AC 30/18
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Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Shri Mansukh Mandaviya reiterates rules for Black Film and Bumper Guard on cars
Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya informed Lok Sabha in a written reply yesterday that the Supreme Court has prohibited pasting of any material/ films of any Visible Light Transmission , on the safety glasses of any vehicle and has directed police authorities that they should not only challan the offenders but also ensure that the black or any other film or material passed on the safety glasses are removed forthwith. As per Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, the glass of the windscreen and rear window of every motor vehicle should be such and should be maintained in such a condition that the visual transmission of light is not less than 70%. In case of glasses used for side windows the visual transmission of light should not be less than 50%, and should conform to Indian Standards.
It was also stated that the fitment of crash guards / bull bars is in contravention of Motor Vehicle Act 1988, and attracts penalty under section 190 and section 191 of the said Act. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has also issued advisory to all States and Union Territories for taking action against unauthorised fitment of crash guards / bull bars on the motor vehicles. In order to improve last-mile connectivity and private use, the Ministry has also notified Quadricycle under the category of Non-Transport Vehicles.
In a separate written reply, Shri Mandaviya informed the House that under Bharatmala Pariyojana, the Government is planning to construct Ring Roads around 28 cities. In addition to this, intervention is also planned to remove choke points and congestion points across National Highways network.
National Electronic Toll Collection  programme, a flagship initiative of the Ministry is being implemented on pan India basis in order to remove bottlenecks and ensure seamless movement of traffic and collection of user fee at Toll Plazas. In this direction, NHAI is currently preparing a Standard Operating Procedure for on-boarding of State Toll Plazas under NETC programme. Till date, 26 State Toll plazas are already on-board of the system and meetings with identified states are being conducted to discuss the further on-boarding of State Toll Plazas under NETC programme.
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Ministry of Tourism
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Four more projects of Rs. 190.46 crore sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes of M/o Tourism
The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned four new projects for Rs. 190.46 Crores under the tourism infrastructure development schemes, Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD in the states of Meghalaya, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh recently. Following are the sanctioned projects and the details.
- Under North East Circuit of Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the Ministry has sanctioned the project ‘Development of West Khasi Hills , Jaintia Hills , Garo Hills ’ in Meghalaya for Rs. 84.95 crore. The above project focuses on development of lesser known destinations in Meghalaya in above Districts. Through this project the Ministry will be developing facilities like Festival Grounds, Tourist Facilitation Centre, Last Mile Connectivity, Public Conveniences, Cable Suspension Bridge, Cafeteria, Trekking Routes, Boating Facilities, Illumination, Solid Waste Management, Drinking Water Facility, Caving Facilities, Visitor Centres, Adventure Sports Activities, Craft Haats etc. in the state.
- Development of Gorakhnath Temple , Devipattan Temple  and Vatvashni Temple  has also been sanctioned for Rs. 21.16 Crores under Spiritual Circuit of Swadesh Darshan Scheme. The facilities being developed under this project includes Tourist Facilitation Centre, Toilet Blocks, Pathways, Shelters, Landscaping, Gazebos, Illumination, CCTV Camera, Benches, Dustbins, Informative & Directional Signages etc.
- Under the PRASHAD scheme, the Ministry has sanctioned the project ‘Development of Govardhan’ in District Mathura in Uttar Pradesh for Rs. 39.74 Crores. The sites taken up for development in the project include Govardhan Parikrama Marg, Kusum Sarovar, Chandra Sarovar and Manasi Ganga. The facilities like development of Bus Stand, Toilets, Illumination of Ghats, Parking, Pathways, Landscaping and Beautification, PA System, Benches, Toilets etc being developed under the project.
- The Ministry has also sanctioned the project ‘Development of Pilgrimage Amenities at Somnath – Phase II’ for Rs. 44.59 Crores under the PRASHAD scheme. The facilities being developed under the project includes Development of pathways, seating arrangement, Drinking Water Facilities., lighting and illumination, Solid Waste Management etc.
The Ministry of Tourism has launched the schemes of Swadesh Darshan - Integrated Development of Theme-Based Tourist Circuits and PRASHAD-Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive in the year 2014-15 for the development of tourism infrastructure in the country.
Ministry of Communications
Mumbaikars can now directly contact their beat postman, thanks to Know Your Postman mobile app
Know Your Postman Mobile App Launched for the Benefit of Mumbaikars
App is Citizen friendly and promotes digitisation of India Post: Postmaster General, India Post Mumbai, Smt. Swati Pandey
Mumbai, 16th October 2021
India Post, Mumbai Region has launched a trail-blazing mobile application “Know Your Postman” on the occasion of National Mails Day, today, 16th October 2021. The unique android application designed and created by Mumbai Postal Region will enable the citizens to easily get the details of their beat postman. Citizens can search by locality, area, post office name and pin code. More than 86,000 localities of Mumbai city and suburb are readily available in the database.
The app was launched at an event organised at the Press Club of Mumbai, Mumbai today. You can download the App here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kyp.ipmp
Know Your Postman - A tool to find your local Postman with details within the vicinity of Mumbai Postal Region.
This application will help you in providing details of:
1. Postman Details
2. Contact Details
3. Attached Post Office Details
4. Attached Post Office Contact Details
5. Attached Post Office Address
Speaking about the ‘Know Your Postman’ App, Postmaster General, India Post Mumbai Region, Smt. Swati Pandey said that, “The App is an inhouse attempt of Mumbai Post region to be citizen friendly, citizen centric and also promote digitisation at the same time. This is completely for the benefit of all Mumbaikars. This is a revolutionary step. More than 86,000 addresses have been tapped so far.”
Smt. Pandey informed that the app provides citizens an option to add their address, if a particular address is not found. “There is a link through which citizens can click and share the details of their address to be added and India Post, Mumbai will update the address within 24 hours,” she informed.
There are 89 delivery post offices of Mumbai city with approximately 2000 postmen/women with mobile devices. Mumbai city delivers approximately 2 to 2.5 lakhs accountable mails everyday which includes speed post, registered posts, Aadhaar cards, passports, etc.
Smt. Pandey also stated that India Post Mumbai region is conducting several training programmes for the postmen/women whose average age is 45 years which is very high. “1,800 postmen are being trained in soft skills. They are trained on how to respond to the customers,” she added. She also mentioned that India Post’s backbone has always been its delivery services.
“Know your Postman” is India Post, Mumbai Region’s initiative towards Digitisation of the postal network that will facilitate the working population of Mumbai. The app will enable citizens to directly communicate with their beat postman and facilitate delivery as per their convenience.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister’s Interaction with the Indian Community in Egypt
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacted with Indian community members on 24 June 2023 in Cairo, during his State visit to Egypt.
In his interaction with them, Prime Minister lauded the community for their contribution towards strengthening India-Egypt ties.
Over 300 members of the Indian diaspora, comprising students, professionals, and businesspersons, participated in the event.
Ministry of Corporate Affairs
IICA conducts 3-day training programme on ‘Leadership Skills for Government Officers’ of Directorate General of Civil Aviation 
The Indian Institute of Corporate Officers , an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Corporate Officers, Government of India, organised a 3-day training programme starting from today  on ‘Leadership Skills’ for senior officers of Directorate General of Civil Aviation , Government of India, through its School of Business Environment.
The training programme targeted upon driving excellence and developing leadership through professional skill developing covering vital aspects of human behavioural cognition. The programme’s inaugural session was addressed by Shri Praveen Kumar, Director General & CEO- IICA and Shri Manish Kumar, Joint Director General, DGCA, highlighting the relevance of leadership training programmes for government officials and corporate professionals. Importance of building resilience, integrating emotional intelligence and empathy were focused upon setting the pace for the 3-day training programme.
The eminent subject-matter experts are engaged for each day’s session aligning leadership towards sustainability and responsible governance. On the first day of training programme, Mr. Suneel Keswani emphasised on the key aspects of life-long learning in order to lead from better to best. The next two days programme shall be taken by Ms. Deepa Bhatia, Ms Neel Sodhi, Ms. Anshu Anand and Dr. Jaideep Singh underlining the importance of effective communication, working in collaborations, effective team building and stress management.
Dr. R.P. Kashyap, Director , DGCA, and Dr. Garima Dadhich, Associate Professor and Head, School of Business Environment, IICA, highlighted that the training programme for senior and responsible officers of DGCA is expected to act as catalysts for the participants to create and sustain more leaders infusing impetus towards nation building.
Ministry of Defence
DRDO & Indian Navy successfully flight-test Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile off Odisha coast
Defence Research & Development Organisation  and Indian Navy successfully flight tested Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile  from the Integrated Test Range , Chandipur off the coast of Odisha on August 23, 2022. The flight test was carried out from an Indian Naval Ship against a high-speed unmanned aerial target for demonstration of vertical launch capability. The missiles, equipped with indigenous Radio Frequency  seeker, intercepted the target with high accuracy. The VL-SRSAM system has been indigenously designed and developed by DRDO.
During the test launch, flight path and vehicle performance parameters were monitored using flight data, captured by various Range instruments such as Radar, Electro-optical tracking system  and Telemetry systems deployed by ITR, Chandipur. The launch was monitored by senior scientists from various DRDO labs involved in the design and development of the system such as Defence Research & Development Laboratory , Research Centre Imarat , Hyderabad and R&D Engineers, Pune.
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has complimented DRDO, Indian Navy and associated teams on the successful flight trial of VL-SRSAM and stated that the missile will prove to be a force multiplier for the Indian Navy.
Secretary Department of Defence R&D & Chairman DRDO congratulated the teams involved in the successful flight test and said that the trial has proved the effectiveness of the weapon system. He added that it will further strengthen the Indian Navy for neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets.